is: Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them by David Anderegg

I didn't read this all the way through. At first, it annoyed me. But the more I read, the more I agreed and the more angry I got at the observations he was making. I went back through some emails and found a sort of synopsis I wrote to someone:

The author is making the point that American culture/society (through movies, tv, books, comics, etc.) stereotypes the NERD as someone who is smart and values education but is socially awkward and sexually unattractive. This is, perhaps, easily seen as a stereotype by adults who know it's not entirely accurate. But, he contends, the message it sends to children is more insidious. He thinks it turns them off anything 'intellectual' at a time when they need to be learning. By time they figure out that the stereotype of a NERD isn't accurate, it's too late. They're too behind in things like math and science and can't keep up. He's also tying this into the view American culture takes on the 'intellectual'.

I think Anderegg is coming at this from someone who works with kids. So he's not talking about how labels, the way we use them and the way we define them affect adults. He's talking about how they affect kids. I don't think what he's trying to say affects discussions we have here on TORn about whether we're nerds or geeks and I will use the term geek to apply to my self without shame. But it is interesting to see how children may be internalizing a slightly different message from popular culture's view of 'geeks' that guides their choices.